


A Breath of Fresh Air

by Pancakes9001



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-22 11:55:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13166406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pancakes9001/pseuds/Pancakes9001
Summary: Living in the city takes its toll on you after so many years. Eventually everyone decides to leave or stay, for Matty the choice was simple.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not much of a writer and I don’t know if I’ll continue with this but if you like it hooray!

“There will come a day where you feel yourself burdened by modern life” this is what the letter read. The letter they received at the hand of their dying grandfather. Today was that day, and Matty decided to move out to that old farm in the middle of nowhere. Joja Mart wasn’t phased by this decision, although they weren’t surprised. Matty didn’t socialize with fellow coworkers and had lost touch with any college friends. They kept to themselves and were happy that way, maybe that’s why life in the country sounded so appealing. 

The bus ride was bumpy and long, at least three hours from the city. It seemed much shorter as a child, either that or their memory had changed the truth of the journey. They were the last one on the bus, which felt a little weird. Most buses are crowded, noisy, and smelly, so being on one by themself was almost surreal. The bus nearer the end of its trip and with a firm stop, they had arrived. “No going back now” Matty thought, gathering their hiking pack. “Thank you, have a safe trip back” they said to the bus driver, to which the bus driver nodded and pulled away. 

A woman stood at the bus stop, red hair and a kind face. “You must be the new farmer! My name is Robin. I’m the town carpenter.” She smiled at Matty and stuck out her hand for a shake. “My name is Matilda, but you can call me Matty, or Matt if you like.” They responded, shaking Robins hand. It was rough and calloused from working with would, or so they assumed. “Mayor Lewis is at the farm now making sure all the raccoons have vacated, it’s not much but it’ll keep the rain off ya.” With that they walked down the dirt road for about twenty minutes before they reached the farm. A sign, broken down and weathered read “Willowbrooke Farm”. 

At first glance it was obvious the farm needed work. Trees and rocks needed to be cleared, fallen logs had begun to rot, and wild grass was abundant. Matty expected this, but they were not prepared mentally for the task. “All that can wait till tomorrow, you’ve had a long journey.” A voice behind them had said. An older man in a brown news boy cap had exited the house, smiling down from the porch at the pair. “My name is Lewis and I am the mayor of Pelican Town, and it is my honor to welcome you here. Your grandfather was a dear friend of mine.” Mayor Lewis made his way down the porch steps and greeted Matty with an outstretched hand. They shook it and smiled “I’m happy the farm is still here, even if it is a total wreck. I’m good at menial laybor.” They chuckled and grimaced at the house they would now have to sleep in. “You can always come by my shop and ask me for house repairs, I’m sure this place could use some renovations” Robin chimed in. “Maybe once I’ve started a decent sized plot and have brought in a harvest or two.” Matty replied. Mayor Lewis smiled at them and waved “well it’s getting late and I’m sure you will want some rest for tomorrow. To get to town just follow the dirt road you came in on and keep going past the bus stop. There is another route south of your farm but that way looks a little overgrown. Inside the cabin is a set of tools, use to belong to your grandfather, they’re a little old but they should work till you can upgrade them. Pierre will sell you seeds when you need them, but here are some parsnip ones to get you started!” Matty took the seeds and waved the two goodbye before entering the cabin. 

Inside the cabin was a bed, table, chair, TV set, and decorative bowl, all covered in a thick layer of dust. “At least there is a tv” they thought and went to go turn it on. It didn’t have a remote so all the channels had to be changed by hand. There were also only three channels they could watch; the weather, fourtune teller, and some cooking sho they had never heard of. “Tomorrow is going to be bright and sunny!” The perfect weather for getting some work done. There was a tool belt on the table, not covered in as much dust but it clearly hadn’t been used in years. The drive from the city was sinking in and Matty could feel themself getting sleepy. They shook the dust out of the blanket on the bed and beat the pillows until it was clean enough to sleep on for the night. They placed their pack on the chair and flopped into bed. The night was much quieter than it was in the city, and before drifting off Matty thought of al the things they left behind. Their job, their apartment, their car, but somehow they knew they’d be happier here.


	2. Spring 1 Year 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time to get planting for the spring season and start getting to know the townspeople. While it would be easy to just plant crops and go about the farm life without making friends, it helps to have someone to talk to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t tell if anyone actually likes this or not but I’m gonna keep writing because I like it.

A rooster called off in the distance, waking Matty from their slumber. “I don’t even own a rooster where is that coming from?” They thought to themselves before checking their watch. 6 AM. They knew before arriving at the farm that they would need to get use to waking up much earlier, but this was too much. They wanted so much to get back into bed and sleep in for another hour or two but some force was willing them to get ready for the day. They grabbed the tool belt that was left on the counter and opened the cabin door to be greeted by a gust of morning air. 

“I should probably..hoe the land first...yes I think that’s the first step” Matty had no idea what they were doing. “Alright let’s get you guys some water” they said to themself as they rained water down onto the parsnip seeds. Clearing a spot and planting the seeds had only taken about an hour, and given that they were more lazy than antisocial, Matty decided to head into town to greet the people. A little less than half an hour later and they hit a cobblestone road leading to Pelican town. They first saw a clinic and general store at the north of the town square, followed by a saloon and several houses. It was still early so not many people had started their day but there was a man walking past the general store dressed in a Joja Mart uniform. 

Matty walked up to the man and gave him a warm greeting. “Good morning! I’m the new farmer, I just moved in down the road. My name is Matty.” The man shot a cold look at them and responded “Go away. Don’t talk to me. I don’t care.” Before continuing on his path and crossing the cobblestone bridge. “That..could have gone better. Maybe he’s just having a bad Monday.” They spotted another man approaching, he appeared older than the Joja employee, and looked much more chipper. “Don’t let him get to ya, that’s just how Shane is. My name is Gus I run the Stardrop Saloon right there.” Matty gave an embarrassed smile and shook Gus’s hand. “I’m sure he’ll warm up to me eventually.” Gus held the door for Matty as they walked into Pierre’s General Store. 

“Good morning Gus! And you must be Farmer Matty! If you ever need any seeds I got ‘em. They also change every season so don’t miss out on the first of the month.” Matty greeted Pierre just as they had with the previous towns people. “You must be in competition with the Joja Mart. I haven’t been yet but I did meet Shane on his way to work.” They said to Pierre. “Yes it is quite the battle we have going, but the townspeople are loyal despite the great deals they offer.” A woman with green hair opened a door to the right of the counter. “Oh you must be the new Farmer! My name is Caroline, I’m Pierre’s wife. If you stick around you might catch our daughter Abigale before she runs off to do Yoba knows what.” The woman said with a growing distane in her voice. “I’ve actually got to run, but I’m sure I’ll see her around, small town and all that.” They said before walking out the door. 

The beach was where they really wanted to go. The city had its charm but the beach had always held a special place in their heart. They began to recall memories of when they were a child and they would go to the beach in the summer, building sand castles and eating roasted hot dogs, with a side of sand. They began combing the shoreline for shells, even if they didn’t live that far from the beach Matty wanted to keep some of it closer to home. “You can sell those for some gold you know.” A low voice spoke behind them. Matty turned around, startled. “Oh sorry I guess I thought you had heard me emerge from my cabin. My name is Elliot. I’m guessing you’re the new Farmer.” He offered his hand to shake and they took it. “You can call me Matty, or Matt if you like. You live this close to the water? Not afraid of storms I hope.” Elliot chuckled and shook his head. “No no, not in the least bit. The sand can be troublesome but the sound of the ocean helps me write. I moved to the valley to concentrate on my novels.” ‘Yeah he looks like he would write novels. He looks like he should be on the cover of one of those novels you get in the airport.’ They thought to themself. Elliot had a chiseled jaw and flowing reddish brown hair. He was truly, a beautiful man. “Well you shouldn’t live on the beach if you don’t like all the sand, either that or scrub your shoes before walking into your house.” Matty smiled and talked with him for a while before he looked at his wristwatch. “Oh my, I had better get to the library before they close. Have you been yet?” “No not yet, but I don’t think I’m moving just yet so I have plenty of time. I’m going to stay here a while longer.” They replied, waving to Elliot as he walked down the path towards town. “Maybe this won’t be so bad. Even if the farmwork is hard at least there is good company to keep.” They thought as they sat in the sand and watched the sun fall below the horizon.


End file.
